Lieu historique national du Canada du Commerce-de-la-Fourrure-à-Lachine Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada

Transcription

1 Lieu historique national du Canada du Commerce-de-la-Fourrure-à-Lachine Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada Re: To follow-up on your visit Teachers, It was a pleasure to receive you at the Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada. The present document has been designed to help you evaluate the knowledge gained by your students following their visit. The proposed activities can also be integrated into a larger project. First of all, included in this package is the correction key for the treasure hunt held during your visit. This will allow you to look back on what the students have learned. This activity was created according to the competencies of the Geography, History and Citizenship education section of the Quebec Education Program. We have thus favoured questions that help students acknowledge evolutions between the past and the present. Emphasis is placed on continuity and temporal links are highlighted. A general information slip about the fur trade is included, and an in-class activity is suggested. This activity is a follow-up to the treasure hunt as it refers to the same themes and comparisons that are made in the historic site. You will also find more elaborate explanations in the document as well as the material necessary to set up this project. We have also included suggestions for complementary activities, such as discussions and readings. Finally, we have included a bibliography on the fur trade. Do not hesitate to send us your comments regarding the tour and the accompanying documents. We thank you for visiting us and we hope to see you again soon! The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada Interpretation Team 1255, St-Joseph Boulevard Lachine, Québec, H8S 2M2 Tel: Fax: lachine.cfl@pc.gc.ca Web site: 1

2 1- Rupert s Land was a territory that belonged to the Hudson s Bay Company during the fur trade. Today, which provinces and territories have taken its place? (Name those that are not already listed). a- North West Territories b- Saskatchewan c- Labrador (Newfoundland) d- Manitoba e- Québec f- Ontario g- Alberta h- Nunavut TREASURE HUNT CORRECTION KEY b- How many beaver pelts would a Native person need to obtain a small metal pot? 1 c- Think of an object on which you can see the image of a beaver today. How many of these beavers would you need to buy a piece of candy that costs 25? 5 (5 5 coins) 2- If you want to go to the Canadian North-West today, you can go by car on the Trans-Canada Highway. During the fur trade, which Native means of transportation did the voyageurs use? What was their highway? The birch-bark canoe on lakes and rivers 3a- If you want to buy something today, you use money. During the fur trade, trading goods were traded for furs with the Native peoples who trapped animals. What was this exchange called? barter d- And, how many caribou would you need to buy the same piece of candy? 1 (1 25 coin) 4- Today, you can get from place to place by using a bicycle, a car or a train. The Native peoples also used different means of transportation. Name four of these. Birch-bark canoes, toboggans, dogsleds, snowshoes 5- The Hudson s Bay Company was one of the big furtrading companies. This company still exists today. What is the name of its stores? The Bay 2

3 TREAURE HUNT- EXPLANATION OF QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE QUÉBEC EDUCATION PROGRAM The elements involved in the treasure hunt are inspired from the Geography, History and Citizenship module of the Québec Education Program. These elements include the themes of the questions in the treasure hunt, the visual aids as well as the method in which the activity is carried out. Question 1 Theme: The impact of the fur trade on the organization of Canadian territory today The political boundaries of the Canada the students know and recognize today have been greatly influenced by the fur trade. Fur-trading companies went further and further west into unknown territory as they searched for greater supplies of furs. This led to the exploration of Northern and Western Canada, as well as a durable presence in the area through the establishment of trading posts. With the help of maps, the student may clearly see the evolution of Canadian territory since the period of the fur trade. The influence of the fur trade on the organization and expansion of Canadian territory may thus be defined. Question 2 Theme: Changes in lines of communication and transportation in Canada since the early 19 th century This question invites students to compare the differences in the organization of a territory in two periods of time, with transportation as the catalyst for change. The student will note that as waterways were the means of communication during the fur trade, canoes were used for transportation. However, with the invention of motor vehicles and trains, roads and railways became the primary means of communication. These thoroughfares have since played an important role in the way Canadian territory is organized. This question will also allow the student to note that the routes followed in the past have significantly influenced the plotting of roads today. The example used in this question is the Trans-Canada Highway, which follows practically the same route the voyageurs followed around the Great Lakes. Question 3 Theme: Changes in commercial activity in Canada since the fur trade The commercial relations between the Native peoples and the fur-trading companies are addressed in this question. Companies bartered with the Native suppliers of furs since the latter did not use money. The student may thus note that objects used during the fur trade had a monetary value. Moreover, the student will understand the reason why the beaver is one of Canada s symbols today, and that its monetary value during the fur trade is still referred to presently through its appearance on the five-cents coin. Question 4 Theme: Changes in means of transportation between the period of the fur trade and today. During the fur trade, the voyageurs used the birch-bark canoe to transport furs. This means of transportation was developed by the Native peoples, as were snowshoes, toboggans and dogsleds. The voyageurs, and the coureurs des bois before them, adopted these means and traveled through lakes, rivers and forest trails. Through this question, students are able to identify the differences between the means of transportation used during the fur trade and those used today. A connection may afterwards be made with the differences between the lines of communication used in the past and those used today. Question 5 Theme: Characteristic elements of the fur trade that are still visible today The Hudson s Bay Company was founded in 1670 under the French regime. A large portion of Canadian territory belonged to it, and it was the major rival of the Montreal-based North-West Company. The Hudson s Bay Company is the only company that was both involved in the fur trade and that still exists today. The student can thus establish continuity between the period of the fur trade and contemporary society through this company that is know involved in retail. 3

4 Project: Timeline Goal: At the end of this activity, the student will be able to recognize the similarities and differences between the current principal economic activities and those of the 18 th and early 19 th century. The students have already seen the themes addressed in this activity during their tour. This activity allows the students to remember and reflect upon the differences between yesterday and today. The eras of and today are compared through seven themes. Preparation: Photocopy the timeline and pictograms included (8 ½ X 11- see page 5) for each student. Instructions for students: 1. Students must first cut out the pictograms. 2. The pictograms may then be placed next to their corresponding themes in the era of the timeline. 3. Once step 2 has been completed, the pictograms may then be placed next to their corresponding themes for today s era. (See the correction key on pages 2 and 3) Discuss the differences and similarities between the two periods with the students to help them become aware of the evolution of the economic activities. Options: -The activity can be done as a group with the teacher, in teams or individually. - It is also possible to associate the pictograms of a specific era with the students and to afterwards let them work on the other era in teams or individually. 4

5

6 Correction key 1: Timeline with pictograms 6

7 Correction key 2 : Timeline in words Era examined 1745 to 1820 Today Most important economic activity Fur Very diverse answers. For example here are Canada s main industries: Paper and pulp Fisheries Mines Transportation Computers Forestry Pharmaceuticals Agriculture Hydroelectricity Etc. Themes to be compared Transportation routes Lakes and rivers, trails Roads, highways, railways, seaways, Transportation of raw Birch bark canoe Truck, train, boat, plane materials By foot Snowshoes and toboggans Use of raw material Fur-lined clothing Beaver felt hats Very diverse answers. For example, the different uses of aluminium are : foil, cars, cans, etc. Who profits from these England Canada economic activities France Currency Bartering (beaver) Canadian dollar Territory involved Canadian North-West All of Canada Great Lakes Complementary activities: It is possible to extend this same timeline. Quebec s most important economic activities throughout its history ( today) could be inserted into the timeline. The timeline could be gradually filled, throughout the year, as these themes are covered. To find pictograms that illustrate these activities, students may cut out images from magazines. Furthermore, you could examine the events that caused these economic activities to change over time. Thus, it can become a longer, more engaging activity. Another possibility is to initiate discussions on other themes addressed during the tour. For example: - One of our coins today contains the image of a beaver. During the period of the fur trade, it was the beaver itself (or rather, its fur) that was used as currency. The monetary value of objects was measured in beaver pelts. For example: one gun = twelve beaver pelts. (This also opens up the possibility to talk about the origins of other national symbols and their references to history, such as the maple leaf or others.) - The fact that the exploration of the country was undertaken in part due to the fur trade. The coureurs des bois and the voyageurs also undertook the role of explorers. - The jobs of the coureurs des bois and voyageurs. Examples of certain questions that could be asked are: Would you like to be a coureur des bois or a voyageur? Which qualities would make a good coureur des bois and a good voyageur? (strength, endurance, autonomy, courage, etc.) Can you name some careers today that demand these same qualities? (construction worker, trucker, travelling salesman, etc ) Finally, the students could write an essay about the fur trade using the following themes : animals, fashion (hats and clothing), Peoples of the First Nations, voyageurs, bourgeois, companies, etc. This article could be added to the Touki-Times (see preparatory activities). 7

8 Bibliography Here are some references to help you guide your students: MCGILL UNIVERSITY, Library of McGill University, Special collection and rare books division. In Pursuit of adventure : The Fur Trade in Canada and the North-West Company. [ ] ( )is a scholarly research site, which illustrates and documents, in part, the heroic age of the fur trade in Canada by examining the exploits of the North West Company and other Montreal-based fur trading companies at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries. MOORE, Christopher, 2000 : Adventurers-Hudson s Bay Company-The epic story, A Quantum Book produced for the Hudson s Bay Company THE VOYAGEURS [ cinematographic record]. DEVLIN, Bernard, director; BALLA, Nicholas, producer; CHOQUETTE, Gilbert, script writer. National Film Board of Canada, 1964, 19 min 47 s. Here are Internet sites of other national historic sites that have the fur trade as their main theme: Québec Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada : Fort-Témiscamingue National Historic Site of Canada : Manitoba Fort Prince of Wales National Historic Site of Canada : Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site of Canada : York Factory National Historic Site of Canada : Alberta Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site of Canada : British Columbia Fort-Langley National Historic Site of Canada : Fort St-James National Historic Site of Canada : 8

9

10 Timeline : Period of the fur trade and today 10

11 Here are pictograms to place next to their corresponding themes and period : $ 11